— Ch. 1 · Founding And Evolution —
Journal of Geophysical Research.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Louis Agricola Bauer stood at the helm of a new scientific endeavor in 1896. He established Terrestrial Magnetism as the first publication for his organization, the American Geophysical Union. The journal began with a narrow focus on Earth's magnetic fields and atmospheric electricity. By 1899, editors expanded the scope to include atmospheric electricity under the title Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity. A major shift occurred fifty years later when the name changed to Journal of Geophysical Research in 1948. This renaming reflected a broader ambition to cover all physical processes within our planet and its atmosphere.
Specialized Section Expansion
The year 1980 marked a turning point for research categorization within the publication. Editors launched three distinct sections: Space Physics, Solid Earth, and Oceans. These divisions allowed scientists to publish specialized work without wading through unrelated topics. Further expansion followed over the next quarter century. Atmospheres joined the lineup in 1984 to handle studies of air properties and interactions. Planets arrived in 1991 to address geology and dynamics beyond Earth. The Earth Surface section opened in 2003 to examine sediment transport and weathering processes. Biogeosciences completed the set in 2005, bridging biology and geological sciences.Editorial Governance Structure
Authority flows from the top down within this scientific organization. The President of the American Geophysical Union appoints every editor directly. These leaders serve fixed terms ranging from three to four years before review. Each editor holds the power to select their own associate editors independently. This hierarchical system ensures that leadership remains accountable to the union's president. A recent statement from the Editor-in-Chief of JGR-Space Physics highlighted structural changes during the transition to Wiley publishing. That shift granted each section its own International Standard Serial Number for tracking purposes.